Prawn, Tenderstem Broccoli, Feta & Almond Salad

Letting me love prawns again.

I’ve never been a massive fan of prawns, especially those little frozen ones found in prawn cocktails that are often wet, squishy and drown in sauce!.. Ok, so perhaps it’s actually those traditional prawn cocktails that have spoilt them for me.

But these meaty king prawns marinated in harissa paste and lemon zest, with the slightly charred flavour from the griddle pan, are gorgeous. The simplicity of this recipe surprised me, as it looks so special on the plate. Plus the different textures and mix of hot, cold and warm elements makes it a joy to eat.

It’s from the Sirocco Persian cook book from Sabrina Ghayour, where on every page you will find bright and vibrant recipes to catch your eye.

You can easily whip this up in half an hour, with very few ingredients. A quick tip (that may seem obvious) is when adding the ingredients together for the dressing, use your tablespoon measure for the oil first, as then the honey slips straight out of it afterwards rather than getting stuck (literally felt my life change when I figured that out).

I enjoyed this as a main meal (twice!) but I reckon it would turn a few heads as a starter if you have any dinner parties lined up. Or if you are planning on treating that special someone in a couple of weeks time.

I think it’s rare that people get genuinely excited by a salad. But so far the two I have made from this book (apple, pomegranate, red onion and sumac) have been simple, versatile and full of new flavours!